


Traditions and Chances: Side Tails...Dawn's Shadows

by Phyrewulf16



Series: Traditions and Chances: Side Tails [1]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-05-08 11:06:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14692908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phyrewulf16/pseuds/Phyrewulf16
Summary: Takes place during the events of my Traditions and Chances series. This side story focuses on Dawn and her progress while in jail.





	1. Chapter 1

Dawn bellwether huffed as she was led down the drab grey concrete hallways, each side lined with heavy darker grey vertical iron bars, holding back the variety of mammals that all wanted a piece of her. Whether to kill for what she had done, or supporters wanting to bask in her presence. She scoffed at the roars and jeers coming from most of the inmates. Dawn couldn't believe it...just last month she was sitting high in the mayor's chair, her and Doug's plans coming together nicely. Well nicely to him she thought, her plan was just to scare the populace into restricting predators...Doug's was far more sinister, but that mattered very little, everyone saw here as the mastermind so she went along with it. Her paced slowed a bit as thoughts from the museum came in, the bunny she put her faith in, betrayed her kind by siding with that pelt. All those plans and ideas came crashing down by a single lone blueberry. To be far however, she didn't want to pull the trigger, she gave her ample time to flee, and there was no way to pin it on her now that Dawn thought hard on in. All those two had was the gun and the serum, that only led to Doug and his two idiot pals doing the crimes, no one would've honestly believed she was involved unless Doug had actually told her the truth and had proof of her being in cahoots with him. She mentally laughed at the idea, he always seemed to tell her what she needed and wanted to hear, even though now she knew the truth behind his lies. And now look where she was, marched down a cold hallway to be mentally poked and prodded to find out what makes her tick.

The wolf guard scoffed as he pushed her along the hallway to speed her up, chuckling lightly as she nearly tripped over her own hooves, who's clopping sound was drowned out by the chorus of hate fueled cussing coming from around her. She glared up at the predator, who merely smugly shrugged at her. The ewe grunted in anger as she marched on to her destination, hooves clopping loudly through the halls. Her thoughts filled with all that happened since her arrest, from being booked, stripped of her belongings, given the orange suit and her pompedore wool, which she spend so much time getting poofed just right, sheered nearly all the way, making her seem like a ghost in her own reflection. After that she was forced to meet with a variety of therapist, all trying to pick her brain, try to figure out just why she did it, why she was so hateful. It didn't take long for her to send each of them running from the room after she spewed some of the most speciest hate-speech she could think of at the time, practically yelling and spitting them in their stupid looking faces.

Today was to be no different, they set her up with another specialist. She sighed as they continued,going through various doors until they reached the dreaded office. The guard opened the door and nearly shoved the ewe in with a huff, “All yours doc.” He turned and slammed the door shut. Dawn turned and was surprised to find an all white arctic vixen sitting in the chair, looking down at some notes in a book. Dawn marched forward, her brain already formulating all sorts of insults for this new 'doctor'. The vixen perked her ears up and noticed the ewe approaching, she stood and waved to a chair before smoothing out her professional looking blouse.

“Ah Miss Bellwether. I'm Doctor Meadow Skyson, please sit, and we can begin.” The vixen offered a small smile to her.

Dawn stood before the chair and sneered at the the fox, her voice icy and sharp, “Look the last thing I need today is some pelt trying to tell me how I feel, especially one who probably slept with her teachers to even get her “doctorate” if that is even what it can be called.” Dawn's face fell when the vixen simple chuckled dryly, sitting back down in her chair and crossed her legs, looking like the perfection of professionalism. Dawn gulped at the soft glare, jumping up to sit in a chair across from her.

The vixen coughed lightly and leaned forward to look right in Dawn's eyes, her blues piercing the ewe's soul, “Let me be frank, as you can tell yes I am a predator, so I have heard every kind of slur you can tell me or think of, plus I'm a fox so I have my whole life of stress and issues with that plus the speciest statements flung at me and I happen to be a vixen, so yea I've heard EVERY sexist insult as well, so there is nothing you can say to get me to crack or react like you want me too.” She paused leaning back to sip at a cup of tea, “And for your information, I worked my tail off at diners and such to save up for college since me being what I am excluded me from getting financial aid, fought and fought getting into college since the dean thought I was there to start trouble and even dealt with the worst kind of bullying during classes and the same rumors until I proved them all wrong by making highest marks and walked across that stage, giving the dean a smug look as I accepted that diploma.”

Dawn went to say something when she was cut off by Meadow, “Now how about this, I will treat you as Dawn Bellwether, a ewe who made a mistake, and you will treat me as a Meadow Skyson, a friend trying to help you...and maybe we can figure out the why of it.”

Dawn huffed out, “Fine, So you want to know why I hate preds?” She was stunned to see the fox offer her a cup of tea. She gladly took it, tea being not aloud in prison, and sipped it lovingly, letting the heat and sharp taste fill her mouth, one she missed, “Jasmine?”, she asked in appreciation.

“Yep my favorite, and no...not yet Dawn, we can get to that. Lets talk about Dawn the sheep first....then we can get to Dawn the...well I believe the paper calls you a terrorist.” Dawn scoffed at that as Meadow continued, “Lets start with your family, how about your father. From what I've gathered prior to us meeting, he was a politician for years, so...what was he like?

Dawn's face lit up for a moment as she started, her chest puffed with slight pride at her fathers ambitions and goals, “Donovan Bellwether was....was a great politician. Basically ran the meadowland district, single-hooved, and kept that area in the black budget wise for decades even with the failing economy, running rampant. Everyone said he stole a foxes tongue since he could talk anyone into anything, even the then mayor.”

“Big role model for you?” She wrote things down in her book as Dawn went on, noticing the odd smile of reminisce on the ewe's muzzle.

“No..I,..I always wanted to be a teacher. I always was impressed by the way they could make any child feel at ease and included. It's what I strived to be early on but I was...” She trailed off, memories of her dad hitting her hard, her muzzle twisted into a grimaced scowl, “I was the mistake of the family.”

Meadow offered a soft understanding smile, “Dawn that's not true...I'm sure it wasn't that bad. Every kid at some point feels that way about their parents.” Dawn's harsh voice cut her off. The vixen jumping back into the chair as the pain-filled yelling started.

“No, hes said it to my face, in public, with friends...I was the runt of the family...and it wasn't his genes that got fucked up it must've been my mothers. Nothing I did was ever good enough, NOTHING.”  
Dawn's voice gained a edge, her movements more and more animated as she ranted, “I got all my school work down, it wasn't fast enough. Got my chores done, the dishes weren't clean enough, the clothes not soft or dry enough. Said it was my fault EVERYTIME something went wrong in the house, I was bad luck, runts aren't good for anything...” On and on she went, spouting insults to herself, getting more and more worked up and animated as she flung about, pacing the room, tears streaming down her face, “He was the biggest asshole, even going as far as saying I should take a leap of a bridge and save the family from anymore shame from being a runt I...I” Dawn fell to her knees and sobbed loudly and hysterically., “He... was... so...” Was all Meadow could make out from the ewe's sobs. Meadow dropped her book and pens and rushed over, griping her shoulders, “DAWN!”

Dawn jumped and was taken aback by what happened. She blinked her tears to see the vixen on her knees before her, giving her a mournful look. If Dawn didn't know any better, she might have thought the predator felt sorry for her, but deep down she knew that wasn't true, no predator could ever feel the way she did, and this predator was only here for some accolades or something like that for cracking the mystery of Dawn. The ewe scoffed as she sighed and wiped her eyes, “Sorry for being so pathetic.” Dawn didn't expect the therapist to do much more than give her a blank stare and a hollow empty apology. However, she was surprised when the fox looked to the ground and avoided her gaze.

“No no I'm sorry ...I, I had no idea that your early life was so rough Dawn. I need to apologize here Dawn.” She looked up and Dawn saw that her sorrowful expression did actually appear genuine to the ewe. Meadow offered her a soft smile, “Why don't...Why don't we end it here for today, and tomorrow we can pick this up after a little break.”

Dawn was confused for a moment, “You mean next week right? These sessions are weekly.”

“Ill talk to the warden, for I think that there's WAY to much going on here for a few sessions a month. I'm less concerned about why you did what you did, now I'm wanting to help you overcome whatever familial trauma you've dealt with.” She stood and helped Dawn back on her feet. They parted ways, Dawn being escorted back to her cell, the ewe feeling no better than before, but at least now, she had that chance to tell about her life, even if all this was nothing more than a ploy for her to be mocked by predators.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHoo and chapter 2 is here...only maybe 3 or 4 to go (depending on if I find something I dont like and HAVE to add)

The next day, Dawn was very surprised to not only be escorted back towards the therapists office, for it was possible that the vixen yesterday was telling the truth about being seen as soon as possible. It was an ever bigger shock to the ewe to find said fox currently making her way around the room, shifting and moving furniture, making it appear to be more feng shui. Her thoughts were shook free when the hippo guard roughly shoved her into the room with a huff before slamming the door, drawing the arctic fox's attention to her patient. She waved Dawn over, the ewe sighing as she shuffled over and hopped up into her chair when Meadow did something she didn't expect. The doctor reached into her bag, grabbed something form within its depths and pulled out a wrapped package and a thermos of liquid, offering the confused sheep the package who took it in her hooves, a subtle yet very familiar scent hitting her nose making her eyes light up.

“Is this...a wrap from Ginnos?”

The vixen smiled widely, her pearly teeth barely showing, “Yep, Been going there every week or so to spoil myself a bit during classes and fell in love with the veggie wraps.” She gave Dawn a light smile, “Consider this an apology for setting you off yesterday.”

Dawn gave her an odd, incredulous look. A fox....eating veggie wraps? Wouldn't she be more into meats? “Veggie wraps? Wouldn't you um...” She trailed off, not fully sure how or what to say. Meadow gave her a sly smirk as she offered Dawn a freshly poured cup of hot tea, who took it gingerly, letting a different spicier scent fill her nose, unknown as to what flavor of tea this was, it seemed to be a latte or cappuccino in appearance.

“Yep, when your working two jobs and fighting through classes to prove your worth being in there...money is tight. So I was restricted to eating pretty much only fruits and veggies, meat was too pricey for me to afford. After I got my degree, I started to feel a little bleh so I went into the doctor, told me I NEEDED to increase my meat based proteins, I was to skinny and underweight for a vixen my age and activity level.” She smiled as they opened their wraps in almost unison, “So I put extra meat on my wraps but still keep the same amount of veggies, and since I caused you to react poorly yesterday, I thought Id treat you to a nice lunch...much better than what this place serves.”

Dawn took a bite, nearly melting as the crunchy veggies and smooth dressings assault her tongue. If anything, she had to admit this predator had a good taste in vegetable combinations. She glanced over to see the vixen take her first bite, nearly shuddering as her sharp canines cut and tore through the soft shell wrapping, inner fixings and meat. But as she watched her chew, a thought hit her. This fox had spent a good chunk of her life living off nothing but vegetables and fruits, and, after letting her eyes roam over the vixen, had to agree that she did appear to be much thinner than the last fox she met, which now that she thought about it was the fox that followed Judy around not a month ago now. She shook any thought about them as she continued to observe her therapist, and how she did vaguely remind her of one of the sickly children she met while on the campaign trail, the poor kits stuck in hospitals from a variety of ailments, living off fluid and barely adequate nutrition. It did make sense that preds required meat to be at peak health, just as prey needed a variety of flora. She smiled before her vision brought her back to the present, Meadow giving her an odd look, muzzle frozen mid chew. She gulped, swallowing her bite before looking very...well, sheepish to Dawn.

“Sorry if I startled you with my teeth, been a while since I've had chicken.”

Dawn was unsure what to say, this predator....was apologizing for something that...honestly she couldn't help, “Don't worry about it. I've been around Lionheart enough to be used to it.” She noticed Meadow had an odd yet hopeful look on her muzzle. She paused mid chew again to jot something in her notebook, muttering a happy, 'interesting'. They both waited until lunch was over before they began the session, both taking a sip of the liquid before starting, Dawn still not sure what it was, it tasted familiar but the creamy feel and taste threw her off. It wasn't until Meadow sighed pleasurably as she set her cup down did she realize what it was, “Mm, love me a good Chai latte.”

“Now Dawn, I was very surprised by your react yesterday to your father, and to avoid that again, we will talk about any siblings and your mother first.”

Dawn sighed, swirling her cup, “I wasn't ready to that question...I guess I was still expecting you to try to pry into why I did it...push and she why this meek sheep tried to destroy the city.”

“Dawn, I told you that we will get there eventually, but first I want to get to know the real Dawn.” She smiled softly, trying to keep the ewe at ease, “Now, lets talk about your family. I've found that starting at the beginning can lead to that 'ah-ha' moment...that moment that we realize the why of everything.”

Dawn relaxed back into the fabric, “Well...I'm the youngest of four lambs. My eldest brother Gregory is an architect up north, next was Geoffrey the neurosurgeon, then Amelia is the actuary like my mom...next is little me.”

Meadow wrote as she listened, “Wow, large family. That normal for sheep?”

Dawn fiddled her hooves, looking uneasy, “Kinda...only difference is ….all sheep families have an odd number, we were the only ones with an even number.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Meadow cocked her head.

“Yea...its a bad omen of sorts. The odd number used to come from the Pre-Accord eras, when the odd number was the tie breaker for major herd decisions....often the herds with even numbers couldn't make a choice and uh....be killed off during fights and battles with preds. Mom got sick after I was born, and she couldn't get pregnant after that. Which started the hate from my father... we sheep are still VERY traditional, so when a family 'herd' is stuck at an even number for the first time in possibly centuries, we got a lot of dirty looks.” Dawn sighed, taking another gulp of tea, “Everything I said about him yesterday was true....its like he legitimately wanted me dead at times.”

“Didn't your mother try to stop any of your fathers rage?”

Dawn sniffled, “She couldn't. According to sheep marriage and family customs, the alpha ram makes most of the decisions in the family, even the 'alpha' ewe couldn't do anything about it, she had to let it happen. She did in secret calm me down, and dry my tears when dad wasn't around, but in public and in front of the others I was put down, my eldest brother was just as big of an jerk, Geoffrey and Amelia were at least nice to me, they knew it wasn't anyonanyone's fault that I was born a runt, they at least questioned traditions.”

“So...your father could beat you and your mother...and no one could do anything about it? Sorry to say buts that's total crap.”

“Yea, but he never touched me. He at least had standards there.” Dawn shrugged, “True the Accords and later modern laws SHOULD have lessened it, but dad was very good at hiding it, and he was able to write bylaws into the Meadowlands to have 'certain' traditional laws supersede modern ones.”

  
“Is that legal? I thought Animalian laws prevented that?” Meadow looked almost disgusted.

“Not fully, he managed to make it 'temporary' law by wording it so that the laws worked during holy times....and making it practically last 10 months out of the year by using backdoor policies.” She shook her head, “Like I said, he was an amazing politician...just not the best father.”

They continued to talk about her family for the rest of the session, ranging from spending time with her mother learning how to cook and be self sufficient, playing games with her sister and avoiding her father and eldest brother, to doing her best to keep her chin up when her dad berated her in public. The session ended with Dawn, actually smiling. It felt like a weight was being lifted from her as she laid on her cot in her cell. Before she fell asleep, her thought shifted to her therapist, 'Maybe...maybe this is real. I just hope that mammals can see what I was trying to do...not what they think I was trying to do.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to give feedback...love hearing it all


	3. Chapter 3

Meadow Skyson was sitting at her dining room table, pouring over her notes trying to make sense of things. They had wrapped up session three today and even though she got a lot of information about Dawn's time in school and her tenure under Lionheart, she still hadn't found that key point yet. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her paw as she pressed play on her recorder and just listened to the previous back and forth, following at best she could with her own notes, hoping to see what is missing.

**Earlier...Session 3**

“So, now that we kinda got family out of the way Dawn, why don't we talk about school?” Meadow pulled out her notebook and pen, “And don't hold anything back.” She smirked firmly.

Dawn sighed before taking a sip of tea, relishing in the flavor knowing she would get this after a few more weeks, “Well, elementary school wasn't to terrible, we were all about the same size and all scared because school was new to us so nothing really to report there. I made a few friends pretty quickly with a few students, mostly prey but there was a predator in the mix as well. I did my work, got along with the teachers, and generally had lots of fun.”

“Was that where you thought about being a teacher?”

“Yea kinda, there was this one teacher that helped this one kit that had a problem learning math, so she took him aside late and helped him out and he actually was better at math later on than I was. The proud look on her face that she helped a student exceed expectations was amazing to see, and I kinda thought that....that could be me.” Dawn's smile faltered a bit, “Life at home was rough at times, but school was like a little escape.”

“Interesting...and makes sense. Lots of young kits see something like that early on in life and decide to pursue it. One of my other clients loved watching a simple seed turn into a plant and the effects of which made food, so they became a farmer.”

“Wow, why did they need...”

Meadow cut her off curtly but softly, “Sorry but that's patient/doctor confidentiality Dawn...the most I can say is that they were having a little 'hiccup' in their life.”

Dawn's face fell, her ears flopping down, “Sorry, wasn't thinking.”

“It's fine, you wouldn't believe how many forget the little things.” She waved it off with a smile, “Anyway, so elementary went OK, how about middle school?”

Dawn sighed, letting it all come back into, “Well, that was rougher. At the start it wasn't bad, since we still were roughly the same, but after a while...some got taller, some got bigger, started to grow from their awkward kit stage. But not little me, not only was I a runt, but I was also a bit of a late bloomer, I was still tiny until the last year of middle school. Plus this was when the groups and cliques were forming, if you weren't in one...you weren't anybody. Oh and to top it off, some kits, mostly predator kits, started to realize either from their parents exactly WHO I was so they started in on me. If it wasn't them, it was the prey kits that assumed that I thought I was better than them just because of my dad's name. So... as you can imagine, I was a loner of sorts.”

“So no friends? At all?” Meadow scribbled into her notepad.

“Well....I wouldn't say that, I had a few here and there. A girl from the preps was nice to me since we were both runts, and even though she grew out of it, she treated me OK since she knew my pain...and convinced a few other of the preppy ones to cut me some slack. My neighbor was a jock and he sucked bad at history so I helped him out to stay on the team...little stuff, but I never joined a group, was too focused on keeping my head down to avoid fights.”

“Fights?” Meadow paused tilting her head, trying to imagine a smaller version of this ewe in front of her fighting. If she wasn't careful, she might've laughed at the idea, “Were ya a little Mike Byson or George Foremam?” She smirk trying to keep the mood light and Dawn at ease.

Dawn giggled, setting her tea down to avoid slipping it, “No no, but some of the kits HATED my father. Mostly predators, again, because of my father. Once a few of them found out what some of the things my dad did to secretly reign in predators, they bullied me even worse. Filling locker with spoiled food, ripping my schoolbag open, hiding books...later on they even escalated to spiting on me or shoving me into lockers.”

“Didn't you alert school teachers to this?”

Dawn looked down, “No..I...didn't want anymore issue. If I got them in trouble...they would just come at me harder. That's why they started spitting on me and stuff. I just put my head down and let it fester. Never even told my mom. My oldest brother, who was just graduating college as I entered seventh grade... somehow figured it out. He mentioned it to me one day, but he never told dad about it, said I deserve whatever I get.”

“For being a runt and being the 'even' number?”

Dawn nodded. She opened her mouth to say something but clammed up, instead going straight into high school talking about how it started out somehow worse than middle school, even though she finally started growing and filling out nearly to where she is now. The bullying still got worse and more creative..mostly by predators, until it peaked during her second year, before it dropped off as things changed. Planning for the future, dating, prepping for college...things seemed to start going good. Meadow noticed a pained look on the ewe's muzzle as she spoke about senior year, like she was hiding or avoiding something. She ignored it as Dawn went into college, talking about keeping her father happy by taking courses in politics and business, while minoring in teaching. Her logic was, as she explained to her dad, was that she wasn't always going to be able to be in office, so she needed a fallback plan in case she didn't win office. Her father reluctantly agreed, and Dawn took dual courses, putting full effort into her minor, but keeping her grades high in both to avoid a blowout with her dad. She was still bullied and picked on, by both pred and prey students, mainly due to her being so small and a few hearing about her dad, but also due to the fact she started to act a bit smug, in part to her high grades and finally standing up for herself by flinging insults to a few preds that tried to put her down. Meadow circled this in her notes, Dawn seemed to have a personality shift for an unknown reason prior to college, something that wasn't there before. It might have had something to due with her high school life, and whatever she avoided. Dawn also talked about meeting her co-conspirator Doug Ramses in college.

“And how'd that go?” The good doctor asked as she made notes, especially of Dawn's unusual expression.

“Horribly, at first it was OK, but then all the little red flags started popping up. He's talk about how dangerous preds were, how they need to be not just reigned in, but controlled and restricted to a near disgusting degree.” She paused as she shook her head, “I broke it off and went home early, he told me once I change my mind to give him a ring....I..I wish I would've never went back to him now that I think about it.”

“And...just curious Dawn, what is it you wanted?”

“Nothing, I just...had a lot of issues with preds bullying not only me but other prey mammals....I just wanted to...i don't know...I guess I just wanted to show predators that they are not all high and mighty just because they have claws and sharp teeth.” Dawn shrugged. Meadow circled this note in her book, noticing her expression was honest and sincere. They continued to talk about classes, and turns out they had a few similar teachers, having gone to the same college, although a few years apart. In the end however, Dawn walked out of university with two degrees and top of her classes, which is what fast tracked her to running for office after her father passed away from health reasons not a month after she walked across the stage.

Her grief was short lived, shedding only a few tears for the ram, before picking up where he left off by being talked into politics by her fathers political manager, putting her plans of teaching on hold. Meadow decided here was a good stopping point, so they could talk about politics in the next meeting, which was drawing close to ending unless she could find 'that moment'.

The session ended, Meadow packing up and bidding the ewe farewell as she was escorted, roughly as usual, back to her cell to wait until the next week.

**Present...**

  
Meadow glanced to the circle portion of her notes. The personality shift...there was a reason for it...there had to be. She reached over and grabbed another folder, this one much older, and opened it, letting Dawn's school record speak to her. She let her blue eyes roam over the sheets of paper, noticing a pattern. Her grades where steady for a bit, maybe one class being low from possibly struggling in a certain subject, social studies...when it began spiking up and plateauing in late middle school, almost like she suddenly got better in said subject. She noted this in her notebook to ask about, especially when in late high school senior year about halfway through, her entire grades dropped. Not enough to fail her or cause issues with college, but enough to be noticed on paper. There was also a few reports about her from the school councilor, remarking a drastic increase in depression and aggression. But nothing else came from it, no meds, no doctor recommendations, nothing. This line up perfectly with her own notes on the ewe's sudden mood shift in college, bashing predators that bullied her. Her eyebrow cocked as she noticed another pattern with this, making another note to try to bring it up next week. The sound of the back door opening signaled to her that her boyfriend was home, she leaned back into her chair as the sound of light paws padded across behind her, two white furred arms wrapping around her chest in a tight hug.

A whistle filled her ears as her boyfriend looked over her shoulder, “Looks like a mess Hun.”

“Yep....but I'm getting close Howie, just one more day.” She leaned back into the forms hug as a kiss was felt on the back of her neck, spreading warmth throughout her petite frame.

**Session 4**

  
The next week found Dawn sitting across from Meadow, who look flustered as she went about getting things set up. The arctic vixen entered the room just seconds prior to Dawn, running late for the first time and, well, Dawn could tell from the messed up fur and slight...scents, that the reason for being late was intimate in nature. There was something off about the scent though, the scent of vixen was subtle and faint, but the other scent was...different. She shook her head, it wasn't her place to ask, or even think about her therapist in that area, none of her business. After finally getting her stuff situated, she plopped into her own chair and gave a subtle sniff, looking suddenly very embarrassed and, for a second, Dawn swore she saw her turn red unto her white fur, her pointed ears pinned back in near shame.

“Sorry bout that Dawn, my boyfriend got 'extra' frisky last night AND this morning, I thought I had musk mask in my purse but it must've fell out..this is so unprofessional of me.”

Dawn smiled warmly at the fox, “Don't worry about it, we've all been caught in some way.” Meadow noticed her smile faltered for a split second, but ignored it for now, she planned on circling back later.

“Thanks Dawn, now...lets chat about your political career. You said you ran for council?”

“Ha more like got convinced to run...my older brother said it was my duty to continue dad's legacy. I won by a landslide though, so I had no choice. Didn't take long to see what my dad was doing...all those back door policies to hinder predators, it was terrible.”

“Did you ever try to undo or lessen them?”

Dawn looked away ashamed, “At first, but then all those predator rights groups started in on me...heckling and calling me names, accusing me of rigging the system to win against the predator nomination, sleeping my way to get in office...etc etc. It brought back a lot of ….well a lot of things. So....I kept dad's laws intact...and even added one of my own, albeit quite embellished to the point that preds had no idea what happened.” The smile on the ewe's muzzle was disturbing to say the least, “I wrote a small law that said that a business cant turn an employee away based on mammal class, as long as said mammal size is not equal to or one stage larger than current employees class.”

Meadow sat there for a moment, until it clicked, her voice cracked slightly at how sad it made her, and reminded her of her own struggles, “So...since most of the meadowlands were prey...a wolf couldn't work if ANY workers were smaller...”

Dawn sighed, suddenly looking defeated, “Yea...I..I just don't know why I did that...I guess I am like my dad.” She paused, taking a drink of tea before going on, “That's how I got on Lionheart's radar, he thought it was going to help preds, but he never saw the fine print. He invited me to a public lunch where he laid out his platform. A predator and prey, running together as equals, a stage of equality amongst pred and prey. It was a nice notion...but considering the last predator mayor Zootopia had nearly bankrupted the city trying to undo Bullson's more speciest laws to fast, I had very little hope he would succeed. But I figured that this would ruin my political career and I could return home to teach so...I took the plunge. I never paid much attention, but turns out he was running for RE-election, and he had done so much good for the city, but it still needed more.” Dawn sat straighter in her chair, “My surprise when I found that my running along side him worked well, helping him win by a long shot, not just a narrow margin like his last term.”

“So how'd it go at first.?” Meadow asked as she leaned back into her chair, getting more comfy, trying to ignore the subtle scent of 'fun' she still smelled of.

“At first...it was great, we would go to rallies together and build up political energy for getting laws and policies changed, we would collaborate on ideas for new laws, tackle the budget together to avoid any mess ups. I was actually the assistant mayor of Zootopia, and it showed.” Dawn's smile fell fast as she started talking about things going wrong. More and more Lionheart started to treat her like a personal assistant, having her pick up clothes from dry cleaners, fetch paperwork, take his place as protests and rallies (including a skunk rally, who's member where still upset by Bullson's decade previous mandatory 'descenting'). She then went into him bumping into her, knocking her over, taking credit for her work. As things got harsher from the mayoral feline, the more angry and resentful Dawn got, until it all came to a head one night she said, her own expressions and body getting more animated as she ranted, the ewe now pacing across the room as Meadow sat taking notes, being silent as she could, letting the sheep vent.

“I was sick, had the flu and was out for the count. Well, that and also SUPER pissed that he took all the credit for the Mammal Inclusion Act the week prior, even though he stole it from MY idea journal. Well, he call me into work, under threat of having to go the union meeting next month at the sewage plant,which I still was made to go anyway. So I got almost high on cold meds, and trudged into the office, where he quickly patted me on the head, gave me the address and shoved me out the door. Turns out, he had to meet up with a few donators, took them golfing...while I, a freaking SHEEP, was going to the Feline Association Meeting.”

“The yearly meeting of big cat species to talk about how to uphold feline law and make changes?”

“Yep, and as soon as I walked in...they all started to laugh at me. Saying things in my direction In different tongues...I assumed some ancient felid. Finally I had enough and yelled out 'WHAT?' This snow leopardess walks over and kneels in front of me. She asked if was sick, to which I said 'yes...why?' She reached up, touched my wool on the top of my head, and when she pulled her paw back it was covered in his white thick fluid. She gave me this...look and I knew..KNEW what it was.”

Meadow looked disgusted, she had never heard of any male doing that, especially to a coworker, “He didn't!”

“Oh yes...jerked off while I was on my way to the office and smeared it all in my wool. I huffed and left, all those damn preds laughing at me, taunting me...I just snapped.” Dawn paused to breathe, jumping back up to the chair after her tirade, “I got home and called Doug....and told him Id listen.”

“And..how did that go?”

“Well, at first he said he found something...a natural compound that reacts in the brain to alter the chemistry. He was using it to test cure for migraines, memory problems, or even behavioral issues, But with the right additives, it had a unique reaction.”

“Going savage?” Meadow almost whispered.

Dawn nodded, “Doug said it temporarily shut down the connection between the hippo-campus while greatly increasing aggression and feral like tendencies. At first I didn't know what he meant, until I realized this could be used to do what I wanted...which was show prey just how dangerous preds can be.”

“That's it? Just scare prey?”

“Well, mainly scare predators, show them how dangerous they could be and were to prey species. A lion coughs and flings paw, and a deer gets sliced open. A wolf get arrested and tries to resist and accidentally bites someone on the neck. Predators are sometimes bigger, stronger and have natural ways to hurt or kill by accident.”

“But a rhino can gore someone with their horn if they trip, a white tail buck can do the same, or a ram with their horns or any horned prey, what about if an elephant falls over?”

“I know, but at the time...it sounded right to me.” Dawn shrugged, looking shameful once again, “ Well, at first it was going good, until his true colors showed through, he was planning a genocide.”

“What? What was he wanting to do?”

“You name it. Mandatory feline declawing, teeth filing, curfews, shock collars...the worse was sterilization of predators after they had one kid. I fought him hard on it, insisting we take it slow. We did at first, making sure to target one maybe two preds a month, none of them married and always in areas with little to no other mammals. But then he started to get impatient, wanting to go after bigger targets, make a bigger impact. I tried to stall him by telling Jesse and Woolter bad advice or the wrong target, but he caught on....and he...threatened me.”

“How?” Meadow leaned forward and held Dawn's hoof as the ewe started to sob.

“He told me If I didn't start doing more on the politics side to restrict preds and stop hindering HIS plans...He would set off a Night-howler bomb at a school, that would make an impact he said.”

“By Vulpea...was he serious?”

Dawn started to cry, “He seemed to be telling the truth so I had no choice. Emmett Otterton was the first...and seeing his wife beg for help nearly broke me. I managed to get Jesse to help me stall, turns out he has a daughter In school and it got him worried, so he would do what he needed to. It was sheer luck though that Lionheart did what he did, not knowing I was involved...the rest is public knowledge by this point.”

“So...you just wanted to scare prey into being more afraid of preds...and scare preds into being more aware of how dangerous they can be...but Doug was the one wanting power and control.”

Dawn nodded, wiping her tears. Meadow got out of her chair and pulled the ewe into a hug. They broke as they saw time was up, “Well, times flew by Dawn. I'm going to take this information to Bogo, see if we cant use this to get Doug a more severe sentence.” Dawn smiled at the vixen as Meadow cleaned up her stuff, the feeling of something still hidden nagging at the fox. Dawn was escorted to her cell, a bit lighter on the shoulder than before. Her new cell mate already asleep, so she was unsure of her species, although from the size of the lump on the top bunk, she was a large mammal.

Later that night, Meadow lay on the couch, her hind-paws in her boyfriends lap as they went over her notes again, not seeing what she was missing, the odd area in school still standing out. It wasn't until his deep voice called her attention, “Did she ever mention a lover or boyfriend?”

Meadow looked to her mate, a slim white hare sitting at the end of the couch, massaging her paw while reading. He turned to face her, his distinctive black cheek stripes boldly showing in the light.

“Um no...why Howie?”

“Well, everyone in school has a crush or someone they fall in love with, whether on purpose or hidden.” He closed the folder, “Maybe someone really hurt her, broke her heart?”

Meadow's face lit up, she jumped up from laying and tackled her jackrabbit boyfriend, pinning him to the couch before kissing him, her predatory mouth locked with his prey one. She broke the kiss and looked deep into his hazel orbs, “Oh Howard Jensen you are a genius.”

She hopped up and made a note in her folder to ask Dawn about this next week...which could possibly be the last session before her trial.


	4. Chapter 4

Meadow was on a mission, sitting in the principles office of the Meadowlands Elementary school, waiting for the mammal she sought. She decided to take it upon herself to research a bit about Dawn's past after their latest session yesterday. After she found out that Lionheart was an absolute prick, and the poor ewe suffered at the hoof of Doug, she chose to peruse this lead that her boyfriend spurred her to follow, the possible path of a lover in school. The door opened to reveal a ewe much like Dawn, just a little closer to a size Meadow associated with the species.

“Sorry for wait miss, had an unruly rhino bullying a young coyote and had to break it up.” The ewe sighed as she sat in her chair, brushing her woolly poof from her face, “I'm Miranda Taylor....So how can I help you miss....?”

“Oh Dr. Meadow Skyeson.” She extended her paw to the ewe, who gladly took it with her hoof, “Now I'm a therapist with the Zootopia Prison and I wanted to ask you a few question on my patient.”

The ewe looked confused as could be, “And who is...Oh wait...” She looked down and sighed at the desk, nearly spitting the name out, “Dawn.”

Meadow nodded, explaining the situation to Miranda and telling her everything she had found so far, the ewe relented telling the vixen that they where once great friends in school, up until high school when she moved to Zootopia with her family. It was then that Miranda smiled, telling Meadow about all the laughs the two ewes shared, everything that she said matched up with what Dawn had told her about school. But since High School was a time they didn't hang out with each other, it seemed like a dead end, until Miranda mentioned that Dawn sent her a letter telling Miranda about a guy she liked. After getting a name, Meadow thanked the ewe, and left, Zoogling the name. When it came back to the current Meadowland representative, her resolve nearly broke, but she pressed on.

Meadow knocked on the large estate door, surprised when a female black fox opened the door, “Oh hi um...can I help you?”

The arctic vixen stammered for a second, not sure what to say at first, “Oh um...I'm sorry but is Thomas Henry here?”

The ebony vixen looked the all white fox over quickly, “And...you are?”

“Dr. Meadow Skyeson...therapist at....” She was cut off as a male voice perked behind the black fox.

“Therapist? Come on Kathy...I know you don't like the peach I painted the kitchen in but there is no need for me to seek help.” The door opened wider to reveal another shock. A male...canine of some kind was standing behind the vixen. The coloring was similar to a red fox but had clear defined spotted markings, but instead of a lush fluffy coat, it was much shorter, “So what do I owe the pleasure of a therapist, a pretty one at that.” He stepped from the doorway and extended his paw. Meadow reached out with her right paw, letting the male kiss the back of it. Whatever this canine was...he knew vulpine customs, right down to the subtle friendly yet borderline flirt right in front of his apparent mate. The other vixen coughed, causing the male to turn to her, “But none as pretty as you my gorgeous wife.” He kissed her on the left cheek while holding her left paw. He turned back to Meadow, “I'm Thomas Milo. Now how can I help you doctor?”

“Well...to be honest...I was wondering If we could talk about one of your old friends.” Meadow watched the Thomas's ears fall. He sighed and stepped aside, letting Meadow enter the large house. Him and the black vixen led her to a study where they all sat.

“This is about Dawn huh? I wondered when that would bite me on the tail.”

“I'm sorry if this is difficult for you sir. I'm not here to cause issues....I just want to make somehting clear in my notes here.” Meadow started off telling the two canines everything she had, going into deep detail what the ewe told her, what Miranda confirmed about school, right up to what she found out yesterday.

“Sounds right, her father was a very...aggressive asshole to her. I'm surprised she never ran away from home.” Thomas folding his paws together as he sat, listening to every word. His wife looked confused as to why all this pertained to her husband.

“So...were you two classmates?” Kathy asked, this was a subject Thomas seemed to bury, and she wanted information.

Thomas sighed hard, looking down at the carpet, “More than that...we were....we were friends.” His voice cracked, looking up at Meadow, “See...as you can probably tell...I'm a hybrid. My fathers is one as well, red fox and silver fox, while my mother...is a painted wolf. We lived in Tundratown in Zootopia early on...it was the only job my dad could get at the time while my mom stayed at home to raise me. When I was fourteen, we moved to the Meadowlands, my dad got a better job here and mom rejoined the work force, but it was rough. They complained it was almost like predators had it harder here. Anyway, as you can imagine, due to my genes, I had this super fluffy winter coat, made me a steel grey color...but when I went from Tundra town to the summer here....”

“Your winter coat fell out.” Meadow nodded understanding, her coat nearly tripled in thickness during the winter and fell from her body in large clumps and tufts.

“Yep...but it was worse than normal...also went through puberty, so my colors started to come in at the same time so my normal coat was shedding as well...I looked like I was dying or had a disease. The kids mocked me mercilessly, especially the canines since not a lot of hybrids were around so I was the new freak to them.” He paused as a small smile crossed his muzzle, “Expect for this little ewe....Dawn never picked on me, never insulted me. She was a runt so she understood the bullying.”

“Wonder why she never brought this up to me?”

“We were soon friends. She helped me with history, which I sucked at...while I helped her with Gym class. She wanted to bulk up a bit so I would run and jog with her, spot her on the bench etc. Before long, we got closer, finding excuses to see each other even if there was no reason to. I was her escape from her father...and she was my escape from...well, whatever issue I had. ”

Meadow's brain started to click, “Did...did you and her....fall in love?”

Thomas nodded, looking ashamed, “It was high school. I started to see this little ewe as more than a friend. She was bright, cheerful, eager....It just happened. It was in secret of course, her father would've lost it, but we started to date in the shadows. Lie about going to movies with friends but really be with each other, fake study sessions, going deep into the woods to enjoy a picnic...and more.” Thomas's cheek fur bristle as he ears tinted pink.

So you and her...mated?” Kathy asked, nearly stunned. She knew he wasn't a virgin when they met, but she never thought he made love to a prey. She was conflicted; on one paw, he seemed to really care about her at the time, enough to fall in love....but then again, he had mated with THE Dawn Bellwether.

Thomas nodded, reaching for and holding her black paw, “Yea...I'm sorry Hun. It was a long time ago. I have no feelings for her now. But back then...I was head over tails in love, our first time was..perfect. I was nervous from the size issue...she was scared of what her father was going to think...but the moon was high, the river still and calm.” He looked to his wife, “Don't worry Hun, Our first....was the best most passionate of my life, and I would never change anything about it or you. It was high school, and well, hormones.”

Kathy smiled warmly as she kissed her husband. She knew he would never go back to her, no mater what, and besides...it wasn't like she dint have a fling or two growing up, “Its ok dear, I know you...and I know who you love”

Meadow let them have their moment, “So...what went wrong?”

A shadow crossed the male's face, startling both vixens, “We had this plan. By the time Prom circled around, we were dating in secret for almost a year, but tired of it...we thought we were ready for it to be public. So...we had this idea, I would ask her to prom...in front of her father and meadowland council, who was to visit the school that week. During my little speech, I would hint at all of our secret activities...really get his wool twisted up...but somehow he not only found out...but he knew everything. A day before, Donovan and his eldest son found me, beat the crap out of me, and pinned me to a tree..where he threatened me and my family.” His voice broke as the tears started to form, “He said he knew all about out little disgusting tryst and told me to either break her heart..or he'd break my family. He said one pen stroke....and my family would be put in prison for decades. Apparently he could do that, I never questioned it since I was just a teen, what did I know, and it was my family. I agreed, but demanded I do it his way.”

Meadow leaned forward, “And that was?”

Thomas sobbed, “She walked up to me like she always did, but this time instead of a hug...I shoved her into a locker, slashed her sweater to ribbons....and told her 'she was a good cum dumpster and rag for my pent up hormones', and 'funny how no ram would touch her so she had to beg a pred for sex'. It tore me up to see her face but..I had no choice, I was scared. I kicked her bag across the hallway then turned and walked away, crying the whole time.”

It clicked...there it was, “Why didn't you try to tell her?”

“I tried...I still have the letter in my desk...but how can you say sorry to that? 'Hey sorry I broke your heart and insulted you'. I wonder how different things had been if I would've mammaled up and told her the truth.” Kathy gripped his paw, telling him it would be ok. Meadow finished writing in her notes, wiping her own tears.

“Thank you so much for your time, Ill make sure Dawn understands.”

Thomas stood and walked over to a desk, opening a drawer and removing a false bottom, pulling a folded paper out. He returned and handed it to Meadow, “Make sure she gets this....and tell her that from the bottom of my heart...I'm so sorry, for being too weak.”

Later...  
Meadow clicked the recording off, letting the office fill with silence. Dawn sat there, clutching the letter to her chest as the tears fell, not trying to stop them. She blindsided the ewe with this, but it was important, she needed to hear it. The room was still, until Dawn calmly set the letter down and jumped down from the chair.

“Dawn..?”

Dawn didn't say anything, she just stood their spacing off, holding the bottle of water in her hoof, the plastic slowly crinkling from growing rage...until she snapped, flinging it across the room against the wall, soaking the stone. Her voice cracked and full of every emotion she could muster, “That FUCKING ASSHOLE! He never could let me just be happy...never let me have anything that brought peace he had to ruin everything..AUGHHHHHH.” She screamed as loudly as her little body let her, falling to her knees sobbing and convulsing as the tears fell freely. A male lynx guard rushed in as Meadow rushed over and pulled the mess of a ewe into a tight hug, surprised at what was happening. He had listened in on the session, hoping for some dirt to sell a tabloid or something...But after seeing the sobbing ewe and comforting vixen...He couldn't bring himself to say much. He instead left the office, and walked to another section of the prison.

After several minutes, the sobbing stopped, but Dawn still managed to croak out her words, “Why...Why wasn't I good enough? Why couldn't mammals just let me be? Why? I just wanted a little happiness, but no...every time I got it...It was taken away.”

“Dawn, listen to me. You didn't deserve this, any of this. No one does. I'm here for you ok? After all this...the only way to go is up.”

“How? I'm going to be in jail for a long time, and if I do get out...no one will trust or even want to associate with me.” Dawn glanced over and saw the letter on the table, remembering the emotions she felt reading the apology and, even though it was years overdue, made her feel at peace. She turned back to the arctic vixen, currently giving the poor ewe a soft and understanding smile. Meadow leaned back   
and grabbed her notebook, never breaking eye contact.

“Dawn, I think we found the root cause.”

Dawn chuckled ruefully as she wiped her tears, “What do you mean? All I did was agree with what Thomas said.”

Meadow smiled, “That's right, but it told me that you got your heart broken....no shattered by a mammal, a predator that you not only put your whole faith and trust in, but also shared a very intimate moment with and, if I may be bold, fell in love with.”

Dawn nodded, looking away as she blushed, before her eyes went wide in realization, “That bastard...I should've known something was up...that was the only time he EVER comforted me. He hugged me tight and told me everything would work out. By the gods I'm an idiot.” Dawn shook her head in anger, woolly poof bouncing around on top, before locking eyes with the letter once again, barely making out but remembering the whole hearted apology from her old friend. She made a discussion then and there, “Can...Can you do something for me Meadow?”

The pulled away, the vixen looking straight into her eyes, “Name it.”

“Can you convince them to let me have a pen and a notepad? And maybe a list of the victims....I want....I want to write some letters.”

Meadow looked over to the chair and understood, “Of course.....and next session...I collect them and get them to where they need to.” She smiled at Dawn, who wiped her tears away. They cleaned themselves up and got back into the chairs, where they re-went over everything Thomas said, Dawn expanding from her point of view. When they broke for the week, Dawn felt lighter...yet heavier at the same time...She was going to have a talk with Gregory soon. As she lay on her bunk that night, she was mentally going through what to say in the letters when she became aware of something. She was being looked at, but in the pitch dark room, all her prey eyes could make out was a slightly darker outline right in front of her. Her fear rose as the unseen mammal leaned forward towards her, the scent of a feline predator hit her nostrils. She steeled herself, if this predator wanted to do her in, she was going to let them, after all she had suffered in her life and the terrible near fatal mistake she made, she felt she deserved it. Dawn felt like ending it anyway; her own father didn't love her, her family abandoned once she was arrested, and she knew NO ONE in this town was going to ever forgive her, even after a century or more. Besides, she couldn't count the number of blades and nooses she found under her pillow and mattress that she didn't put there, must have been either the guards or more than likely the form staring at her in the inky black, waiting to witness the ewe's final act.

“So, the famous Dawn Bellwether.” The feminine voice whispered out from the shadow, “The terror of predators, and near destroyer of Zootopia.”

Dawn sighed hard turning her body to try to get a better look at the form, but only making out an angled muzzle and tall ears, “Yep that's me...monster sheep here. Ya better run.” Her voice laced with a dry dark humor. The form let out a deep quiet chuckle, before her spite-filled, harsh voice filled Dawn's ears.

“You know...I waited SO long to meet you. To do all these terrible things to you; run my claws trough your little neck, slowly choke the life out of you, stab you with the shank that one of the guards 'misplaced' under your pillow,” Each rambling idea made Dawn shrink and shimmy further away from the predator, only to have her slowly crawl onto the cot. Dawn fell her back hit the cold stone, trapping her. Her only option was to yell out, but would anyone come...would anyone care....would anyone miss her? She felt the unseen mammals muzzle just inches from her own. She took one last breath and held it, to savor her last moments, when the voice took a softer tone, the acid edge gone, “Only to hear that you were a mere pawn, and a life of hardship made you this way.”

Dawn let her breath out as a harsh exhale, “Then why scare me to death?”

“I wanted to see how you'd react. And from the scent...you thought I was going to do ya in huh?”

“Why wouldn't I think that? I targeted you preds....and could've went so much further.” Dawn breathed out, still in fear of what might still happen.

“True...but you have no reason to feel that way. You were just a player in the game..your buddy Doug was the one calling the shots. To be honest I feel bad for you, most of us that make mistakes to get us here....we did so after still having loving families and just wanted to cut loose. You had a shitty life, and made a mistake.”

“A mistake that could've ended in blood. I'm just as guilty as Doug is...and deserve what ever punishment I get.”

The form shifted to climb off Dawn's bed, the pale moon light finally filtered into the cell, revealing a female Lynx about her age, looking sorrowful, “Even suicide? I've heard you mutter to yourself about it for a week now.”

Dawn looked away ashamed, “Maybe...you have no idea what I've been through, and even if you did.....could you blame me? So many predators almost lost their lives, and so many more were planned to die. My father was an abusive asshole, the only mammal I truly loved was blackmailed into shattering my heart, my dreams were taken from me, and I'm sure the jury will want me to get the death penalty....why disappoint them?”

“Why not prove them all wrong? Dawn....Nobody died from your schemes. They might've or could've...but they didn't. It stopped before they could, so no blood is on your hoof. I do Dawn...I hear my victims scream every night, pleading and begging...I feel the hot blood still on my fur....their eyes glossing over as I tried to stop the bleeding. And mine was self defense, but I still am here paying for it. You were just an accomplice Dawn. If I could...Id love to be where you are.”

“Maybe...but I still....nothing ever went right in my life...why try now?”

From her voice alone, a smile could be seen, “To prove them all wrong. To show that you are sorry for what you did....that your strong enough to overcome....to look at you father's face when you do pass and tell him he was wrong. Dawn, your at your lowest now, the only way to go is up.”

Dawn narrowed her eyes. True she believed everything that was said, but she was also very confused, “Why help me? I don't even know you”

She jumped when a large paw touched her muzzle. To her surprise, it was soft and gentle, “Because....I owe a life in this world. If I can save ONE mammal from ending it...then I've paid it back.”

Dawn reached up and touched the paw, “Thank you....you would make a good therapist.”

The Lynx chuckled, withdrawing her paw as she stood, before climbing up to her own bunk, “Don't mention it, just remember....the new you starts tomorrow, regardless of how your trail turns out.”

Dawn took her words to heart, falling asleep as she hugged herself, hoping that her last session will go good.

 

 

**Only one more chapter to go...and then this side story will be done. Then I will put out the questionaire of sorts for the next side tail.**

 


	5. Chapter 5

Dawn sat in the the temporary office, guarded by the currant lynx officer, for her therapist and possibly new friend Dr. Meadow Skyeson as she awaited for what was to be her final session, and for the first time, she was wholly at ease. She turned her head as the door opened, smiling lightly as the vixen entered the small space. Meadow nodded to the officer, who grunted and left as the good doctor sat at her chair across from Dawn, returning the smile to the ewe. Before either could talk, Dawn reached to the table nearby, grabbed a stack of papers, and gently offered them to Meadow, who took them looking confused at first, before seeing what was written on them, her muzzle softening in understanding.

“I uh...hope this isn't going to be to much of an issue for you Meadow. I know there is a lot of names and letters there...but...” Dawn fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

Meadow chuckled, “Don't worry about it Dawn, this wont be too big a task.” She flipped through the letters, shocked to see they were all unique and differently worded. She honestly expected to see some mirroring, but no, they were all personally made out to each and every mammal that was affected by this whole Night Howler debacle. She caught a few names from the news that were hit by the toxin, a few predators including ZPD officers and public officials, even the name of her court appointed lawyer. However it was her name that stood out the most, the letter apologizing to the vixen for having to put up with her previous name calling and speciest comments. Meadow looked up to Dawn, who looked away shyly, “Dawn, you didn't have to....” She was cut off by the ewe waving her hoof at her.

“Yes I did, I treated you like crap...and you did everything to help me....find the true me.”

Meadow smiled at the sheep, leaving her chair to pull the ewe into a tight hug, “You do seem a lot more at ease and peaceful.”

Dawn inhaled deeply as they returned to their chairs, “I know I made a mistake. It could have been so much worse with or without me had Doug had his way....but regardless of that...I still am partially responsible, and I intend to take whatever punishment a jury finds me guilty of, whether that is simply community service or even...” She trailed off, inhaled deep as she firmed her resolve, “Or even the death penalty.”

Meadow softened her muzzle as she gazed upon her resolve. She glanced over to the office door, where she was certain an officer was guarding the room. She leaned forward and whispered to the ewe, “I'm not supposed to say this...but....I need to Dawn. Doug wasn't given a trial.”

Dawn looked surprised as she whispered in return, “How? He was arrested same as me.”

“Yep....but you see after the info you gave me on him earlier....his properties were raided. On his computers and notebooks not only proved everything you said...but showed just how evil he was. He was planning on killing you Dawn. Regardless of how the museum went down, he was going to dart another predator and have them tear you to pieces...after which he would put himself in power by 'suddenly' becoming the expert in what was happening.”

Dawn's hooves shot her muzzle as her eyes misted over as the vixen continued, “ZPD questioned him in which he admitted it all. It was when they tried to take him to prison to await trail....that he fought back and tried to run.”

“What happened?” Dawn couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Meadow glanced back to the door, lowering her voice further, “He managed to get away...but only for a moment. An officer from Precinct 2 gave chase with him running towards Tundra town, which they had reason to believe he had a safe house and possibly a small stash of Nighthowler toxin. The officer caught up and tackled him during which Doug tried to take the officers weapon, resulting in Doug being shot by a tranq dart. Which wouldn't have been that bad, except for the fact that Doug slipped and fell into a river.”

Dawn's shocked face grew as the implications hit her, “Did he...?”

Meadow nodded, “By the time the found and recovered his body...it was a whole two days. But with the evidence against him....and the evidence that shows you were a mere accomplice, I think your going to be OK tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow! Its that soon?”

“Yes, and yes I am going to be called in as a witness, since I am your therapist. And.....since this is a federal case, all your personal info you gave me will be on the table.”

Dawn nodded as everything sunk in. The officer entered the room and motioned to the vixen, “Ah yes, Well Dawn, I got to go to a pre-trial meeting. I will take these letters and start getting them sent out. See you in the morning Dawn, so get some sleep.” The vixen and ewe shared a deep hug before they broke, Meadow leaving the office before Dawn was escorted back to her cell as well, mentally preparing herself for the morning and possible weeks to come.  
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Dawn sat on her cot a week later, hugging herself and shaking, not fully believing what happened at her trial. The whole thing started normally enough, with her being read her rights and the jury being brought in. It quickly however devolved into a mad house as mammals started arguing back and forth. She could tell that her lawyer, Jennifer Hooveson, was having a tough time defending the poor ewe, as most if not all of the jury and press only knew about Dawn as the potential terrorist, not hearing about her past or pain. Everyone already knew who and what she was, judging her guilty just by their muzzles and disinterest in hearing about Dawn. It was the surprising witness in the form of Dr. Meadow, who swore on the names of Vulpea and Cania, (Dawn was lost as the meaning of this), on Dawn's character. It was surprising to everyone in the courtroom when they started hearing about the ewe's family issues, her past and her suffering at the hooves of Doug. The whole thing stretched on for days, talking and examining, cross examination and questioning everything. She pretended to be shocked by learning about Doug's fate, but the rest of the court was highly stunned, especially when all of the ram's private data was revealed, showing that even though what Dawn did was terrible, the mere mention of what Doug had planned sent shivers up everyone's spines.

It was when the ZPD was brought in however, that Dawn got lost. She knew what happened and how things went, but when things started to get explain, things got muddled. From Bogo going against protocol by secretly having Judy have a small case, even though her rookie status would've had her regulated to parking duty. Then Bogo went on about an unofficial informant for the ZPD that had helped Judy in her case, but was to be unnamed for security reason, leaving Dawn to question what was going on. Even Judy quitting was a ruse apparently, as the bull chatted about how she was on another case undercover, again against procedure, when a link to the night howler case had her pulled back in. Dawn sat there in a daze trying to figure out why this was going on, nothing made sense, ignoring the several old friends and co workers about Dawn and her character. Even Judy was brought in, which scared Dawn seeing how she betrayed the bunny's trust, ever word felt like the bunny was spitting at the ewe, even though it was mostly about how the only time they really interacted was when Dawn gave her and her unnamed informant access to the 'Jam-cams'. However, it was the statement from her old friend Thomas that made people see the true Dawn, the hurt and damaged ewe that she was, the tricked and coerced sheep that had no real power in the end. With a bang of the gavel, Dawn was stunned by the punishments; Jesse was given community service for his role of stalling Doug, but it was still rough as it was a years worth of service....Woolter was given five years for assisting the ram to the fullest and fulling going along with the planned genocide...Doug would've gotten the death penalty had he survived....Dawn though, felt she got off easy. Three years jail time, with one year mandatory with parole following good behavior, which was the most shocking thing about this whole debacle.

She continued to sit on her cot, not fully believing what happened, nearly ignoring the sound of the door opening and a mammal entering her cell. Her eyes flitted up to meet Meadows, the vixen giving the ewe a soft smile. She knelt down and pulled Dawn into a tight hug, who fell into her shoulder sobbing as the week caught up with her, her happy sobs muffled into Meadow's shoulders. Meadow patted Dawn on the back as the ewe sobbed. They broke as Dawn wiped her tears, “Sorry bout that....I needed it.”

Meadow smiled softly at her, “Don't worry about it Dawn, it what makes the job worth it. So are you ready for your sentence?”

Dawn inhaled deeply, as she smiled, “Yep....I feel its too short for what could've happened, but Ill take it.”

Meadow smiled as she reached into her bag, “Well...I got most of the letters sent out, some dropped off by paw. I got ya a little something hun.” She pulled out a small bag, “A little 'prison survival kit', some approved toiletries, a book, etc.”

Dawn took the bag and hugged her tightly, “Oh thank you thank you.” She pulled out the book and gasped, “This...This is...how'd you know I love the Jack Savage novels?”

“Oh....I may have saw your collection that was put into storage.” Meadow smirked, trying to hold back her own excitement.

Dawn gazed over the cover and frowned, something was off, “Wait...this isn't supposed to be out till next month”

Meadow shrugged, “I know a guy.”

Dawn eye roamed over the cover again and noticed something she hadn't prior, “Wait...why...why does Agent Sky....look like you?”

Meadow smirked as she pulled out her phone, scrolling through the photos until she found the right one, “Well....this is my boyfriend.” She showed Dawn the picture and the ewe gasped, standing next to her therapist was the real Jack Savage, who was modeled after the author himself, right down to the black stripes on his muzzle.

“Your dating HOWARD JENSEN? The author of Jack Savage....Wait....so your....?”

Meadow smiled widely, 'The model for Agent Sky? Yep” She chuckled.

Dawn laughed with her, wiping her forming tears. They shared another hug before Meadow left, leaving Dawn with her thoughts and alone in her cell. She stood up, walked over to the grated window, inhaling deeply before letting it out with a sigh. She smiled as the birds chirped freely, looking forward to finally getting out. She just hoped that once her sentence is over, things can at least get back to normal.

**AAAANNNNNDDD there it is. The final chapter for this side story. Sorry for the LONG delay for the last chapter but I....Got a little burnt out from work and just life. Took a small break from typing completely but now Im refreshed and ready to go.**

**So...for the next side tail...these are what I have at least one chapter roughed out.**   
**-Nick and Finnick friendship( Mainly first meeting) about 3 chapters total**   
**-Sharla and Gideon dating (also goes into a bit of WHY gideon changed) maybe 4 or 5 chapters**   
**-Judy's recovery/Nick tying up loose end prior to the academy about 4 or 5 chapters**

**Author's Note:**

> Finally here! The side series I've been working on. Going to be a lot shorter than the main story...only maybe 5 or 6 chapters.  
> Would love some feedback on this.  
> If there's any other side stories for T&C ya want to see me do let me know.


End file.
